I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to launch packages that feature sabots to gun launch sub-caliber projectiles and penetrators.
II. Description of Related Art
Sabots have been long used, especially in military applications, to fire a projectile from a gun that is smaller than the bore diameter of the gun. Since the projectile is smaller than the diameter of the gun, it is necessary to trap the propellant gases inside the gun and behind the projectile while the projectile travels along the length of the gun. In order to achieve this, a sabot, comprised of a number of petals, is disposed around the projectile while an obturator around the petal ideally sealingly engages the internal bore of the gun. Once the projectile with the sabot exits from the gun, the sabot petals separate from the projectile so that only the projectile continues from the gun to the target.
In order to maximize the projectile velocity, previously known sabots have utilized composite materials adhered together and then machined or otherwise constructed to form the sabot petal. In one previously known sabot, a plurality of composite sheets of the same length and thickness are cut to differing widths and are stacked one upon the other such that the stacked sheets form a wedge. A number of wedges are then adhered together by a resin matrix to form a sabot petal so that the center sheet of composite material of each wedge lies in a radial plane. The shape of the sabot petal is then formed, for example, by turning the composite material on a lathe and then machining the sabot petal to the desired diameters. At least two, and typically three or more, petals then form the sabot.
Many of the previously known sabots were intended for use with a smooth bore gun barrel. Consequently, upon firing, the sabot is not subjected to large torsional loads.
Conversely, if the sabot is launched from a rifled barrel, the entire sabot is subjected to torsional loads due to the barrel rifling. For sabots constructed from sheets of composite material, the torsional load imposed during launch upon the sabot petal has been known to delaminate which can lead to not only inaccurate targeting of the projectile, but even safety issues if the delamination is severe.